Learning Objectives

After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

Determine who needs competency assessed.

Describe what competency needs to be assessed.

Decide where competency needs to be assessed.

Decide when competency needs to be assessed.

Explain why competency needs to be assessed.

Discuss a couple of ways on how to assess competency and track competency.

Program Description

Competency assessment is an essential practice in laboratories and one that is regulated by CLIA ’88 standards. However, many facilities struggle with identifying what competency needs to be assessed, how it should be assessed, how frequently it should be assessed, and how to track it all. This program will describe one blood center’s approach to competency assessment, the challenges faced in implementing a competency program, and the system used to track competency assessment.

Continuing Education Credit

AABB estimates both the live and on-demand version of this eCast each to be eligible for 1 continuing education credits/contact hours for Physicians, California Nurse, California Lab Personnel, Florida Lab Personnel and General Participation credit. The final number of credit(s) and credit types awarded for this program (live or on-demand) will be determined by the program duration. For more information on each credit type please visit our
Continuing Education Credits webpage.

Speaker Biographies

Deb Baedke has 21 years of experience in quality, training and process implementation. After graduating from Marquette University in 1990, Deb received her PhD in Zoology and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in 1996. She transitioned to clinical laboratory studies and has worked at LifeServe Blood Center since 1997. She has been in her current position since 2011, where she develops procedures and training, and assists Operations in implementation of processes and computer systems.

Mara Simons is a Training Coordinator at LifeServe Blood Center in Des Moines, Iowa. She oversees the training, proficiency, and competency for over 50 team members and assists with process development in the Hospital Services Department which encompasses Donor and Patient Laboratory Testing, Component Processing and Product Distribution. In 1988, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and Des Moines Mercy College of Health Sciences, and earned her certification as a Medical Technologist, MLS (ASCP). She has worked at LifeServe Blood Center for 30 years, starting as a Lab Tech, transitioning to the Quality and Training Department as a Trainer, and now in her current position. She is currently helping to implement a new Blood Establishment Computer System and new programs for electronic documentation and process control.